Last updated: April 28, 2025
Place
Shrine Tyuonyi Overlook Trail Stop 5
NPS
Quick Facts
Amenities
2 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot
The exact purpose of the circular structure in front of you is unknown, but its location suggests it may have been a sacred site or a lookout/communication post. A place such as this may have been the site of prayer and ritual for successful farming and generous rain.
Looking across the Frijoles Canyon you can see some jagged peaks in the distance. Those are the San Miguel Mountains which are far older than the Jemez Mountains, which produced the rock on which you stand. All of these peaks are volcanic and over a million years old. The porous rock from the Jemez Volcano is an important feature that allowed the Ancestral Pueblo people to live here and to dry farm.
Looking across the Frijoles Canyon you can see some jagged peaks in the distance. Those are the San Miguel Mountains which are far older than the Jemez Mountains, which produced the rock on which you stand. All of these peaks are volcanic and over a million years old. The porous rock from the Jemez Volcano is an important feature that allowed the Ancestral Pueblo people to live here and to dry farm.